A Warrior in the land of Ninjas
by The New Mandalord
Summary: Life and death. Kill or be killed. These will always remain in humans. But there is something else that drives us. A reason. And that is worth more than some nine-tailed demon.
1. Chapter 1

In the early years of the civil war, Naoto was sent around to different parts of the Universe. Chasing down and destroying any Federal Capital-class carriers. One person that would follow him around was a man by the name of Jonnathan Santoniri. Older brother of Keilara.

Jonnathan was a big man. Known for carrying Naoto around whether he liked it or not. He's known for his high explosive way of getting the job done, so he has to wear the thickest kind of YHWH armor. And according to Naoto, he's really good at playing Go.

Operation: RIGHT HOOK is just one of many operations of taking over a small Pick up-class carrier, planting a nuclear bomb on it, making it make a refueling track back to the larger carrier, getting hell off it and then detonating it.

Every job seemed like any normal one. Jam their radar, clip the engines and taking out the any fighters that might come back from scouting missions. Sounds easy, right? But todays was different. Naoto was able to land on the carrier, take out most of the defending Clankers, and deactivate the shield to allow the landing craft with Jonnathan and the bomb to land within the hanger. Naoto went off to the bridge to destroy the crew and thats where things went wrong. The main guns were still online and pounding the Frigate-class _Mighty Savannah _

_"Savannah to Kouzuki: sustaining major structural damage! We need to break off, Captain!"_

"Copy, _Mighty Savannah_. We're already in, disengage!"

Naoto arrived at the plasma battery, finding a lone Clanker gunner. Outside the window, multiple plasma bolts could be seen impacting the fleeing frigate. Explosions blossomed along the Savannah's hull.

_"Break off! Break off! Hull breach, reactors flaring! Dammit, I'm losing her!"_

The Savannah fragmented, then exploded at it's mid-section. At the same time, Naoto was able to come behind the droid and tear in two.

"Any survivors of the _Mighty Savannah_, can you hear me!"

_"Frigate's gone, Cap"_ Jonnathan said over his CAPCOM. _"... Nothing we can do." _

"Jonnathan, we're in deep with no cover. I'm going to get this Pick up moving so we can get the hell outta here!"

Naoto ran out of the room, leading to a winding corridor. This led to the control room; a very heavily guarded control room at that. After taking out the crew and guards, Naoto found the navigational controls and reset them.

"Naoto! Our ride is taking heavy fire! Get back to the hangar!"

Naoto arrived back at the battery, and was engaged by more Clankers. "_At your earliest convenience, Naoto._"

Naoto made his way back to the hangar, which was under heavy attack, but is soon cleared thanks to Naoto's magi abilities.

"Good of you to come," Jonnathan said. "Hostiles are pounding the hell outta the transport."

Naoto and Jonnathan defend the hangar from multiple waves of Death-bot troopers, eventually eliminating all of them. Leaving nothing but burning piles of scrap-metal.

"Savannah did a number on the door. Naoto, form up on me."

In his visser, Jonnathan got some grim news, "_Distance is closing on this vessel's refueling track with the Federal Capital-carrier. Seventy-six seconds to endpoint._"

He tried to arm the bombs timer, which failed to respond.

"Damn it... So, it's gonna be like that." Jonnathan hit the timer in frustration. "Well, I got good news and bad news. This bird took some fire and her thruster gimbal is toast. Which means the only way off this slag heap is gravity."

"And the good news?"

"That was the good news."

At their current velocity, they had fifty-three seconds until the endpoint.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Jonnathan removed his helmet and dropped it to the floor. His brown, scruffy beard and scars were covered in sweat. And this was the first time Naoto ever saw the look. The one that meant that only one of them were making it off the ship alive. "Bad news is, the timer's fried. I'm gonna have to fire it manually."

"That's a one way trip."

"We all make it sooner or later. Better get going, bud, they're gonna need you down there. Listen, Mandalore has been good to me," Jonnathan removed his dogtags and gave them to Naoto. He lifted Naoto up with one hand and carries him to the shield. "Time has come to return the favor. Don't deny me this."

Naoto could fell the energy of the shield on his back. "Take care of my sister for me."

Jonnathan tossed Naoto out of the hanger and into space. He then started to fall to the planet below. After falling some distance, Jonnathan activated the nuclear bomb under Capital ship. A massive rift ripped through the Capital's midsection. The Pick-up disappears instantaneously, and the carrier was severed in two as its entire midsection disappears into the rift. A shockwave of ionizing radiation passed over Naoto, causing electronic interference with the helmet.

**A Warrior in the land of Ninjas**

Naruto Uzumaki, known as the sixth hokage to the land of Konohagakure, laid on top of of the head carving of his father just watching the shooting stars come down. He was twenty-six now and has seen his share of fighting do to the Fourth Great Shinobi World War. All of those memories were just one big blur, and he has been trying to keep it that way. In fact, whenever any of the children of the village ask him about it, he would just change the subject to something else.

He noticed that several shooting stars were breaking apart of two huge fireballs, which eventually crashed onto the planet. Several miles away at that. "What the hell?"

"Lord, Hokage," a four man squad of ANBU Black-Ops appeared behind him. "What's wrong."

"Yamoto, take your squad and investigate that explosion." Naruto ordered.

"Yes sir!" They disappeared in a flash.

Naruto settled down... a bit. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this from Sakura in the morning."

XxXxXxX

Naoto was alone in the middle of a grassy field holding his sore arm and was able to regain mobility. He slowly walked back to the Reentry Unit to get a pistol. He then looked up at the remains of the Capital-carrier, crashed on a distant mountain range with more of its parts flying down. Naoto started to walk away from the wreckage with a limp.

It was soon morning on the grassy plains and Naoto didn't get a wink of sleep. With the adrenaline and guilt raging through his body, all he could do was walk. His optics finally came back on line, so his shields and built in GPS were back up and running but his CAPCOM took to much radiation in the fall and was offline.

The hairs on the back of his neck started to stand up. He was being followed. If his hairs weren't good enough, the stalkers heat signatures with giving away their positions. Naoto sighed as he pulled out his pistol.

"Hey, creepos! Stop following me like lost puppies and lets talk this over!" Naoto's peace agreement didn't seem to faze the four targets. "Or we can do so, with a lead bullet in your leg!"

Again, the targets seemed unfazed by the threat. So Naoto fired four warning shots at the targets. They seemed to back off, allowing to give Naoto a window to escape. Now the training and the YHWH armor already gave Naoto super human strength and speed, but even with that his pursuers were keeping up with him. So he tried different moves to lose them. Zigzags. Doubling back. Slowing down just to speed up again. With every trick he tried, his pursuers just seemed to learn from it.

They then started to back as it was going from morning to mid afternoon. Naoto looked back to watch the shadow people back away, but he looked ahead he saw what these people looked like. It wore a porcelain animal mask, it also had a uniform consisting of black and gray armor, metal arm guards, and a signature spiral tattoo on its shoulder.

The animal person did several hand signs; this, somehow, created a flash of light that blinded Naoto. After it died down, he found himself wrapped in chains with four sickles at his neck.

"Ah... crap..."

XxXxXxX

Whoever coined the phrase "Easier said than done" must have heard about Naruto Uzumaki. Right now, besides all of the left over paperwork from the last Hokage and all of the new paperwork coming in daily, he had to deal with the head medical nin, Sakura Haruno.

She was a full grown woman with emrald green eyes, long bright pink hair, fair skin, and well built body. In fact most of the men in the village would be gasping for air when she walked by. She and Naruto go back to all the way since they were kids growing up. And back then, he had the strongest feelings for here. Enough so, for her happiness, he would bring back her love and his rival.

The Sixth Hokage had acknowledged that he still had feelings for Sakura. Not a big deal. Naruto did acknowledge that he would probably always have feelings for Sakura. The Hokage had also decided that he WOULD win her heart. It seemed his heart-winning skills, however, were severely lacking. In fact, non-existant would be the word of choice.

"Why can't you see how important this is to the welfare of our village?" Sakura asked, her voice starting to increase in volume.

"There's only so much I can allocate for medic-nin supply," Naruto said in a weary voice. "Unless you'd rather everyone go without a kunai."

The past half-hour of the Hokage's life had been passing in exactly this manner. Sakura represented the medic-ninjas for both Konohagakure's hospital as well as their field medics. Her responsibility was to make sure that the med-nins had the resources to save lives. As such, the entire meeting had consisted of her demanding more money from the Hokage and him telling her no. Normally, Naruto tried to make it into a game; he would try out responses that would make Sakura THINK he'd agreed, but in actuality hadn't promised squat. Shikamaru had once told him it would be good training for married life.

"Geez, Naruto," Sakura said, exasperated. "It's not like everyone has your kind of recovery."

"You're right, Sakura-chan. Maybe we should see if there are any more tailed demons roaming around. Sealing them in infants can be our new health care program," he muttered, rolling his eyes. He hadn't even put up the pretense of being polite this time.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama," Sakura said, looking away. "I didn't mean to bring up-"

An ANBU appeared in the office. "Sir!... My lady... We caught someone that was near the crash site."

"Is it a spy?"

"We don't know, sir." The ANBU shook his head. "Ah, also, sir..."

"What is it?" He moaned.

"Your meeting is here."

"Great," Naruto sighed as he got up. "Care to join me Sakura?"

"Is this your form of a date?"

"If business was a form of a date, then we would married by now."

XxXxXxX

Naoto felt like an animal in a cage. They stripped him of all of his supplies and armor, and only allowed him to wear his undershirt boxers. He walked back in forth between the walls of his cell. Constantly keeping an eye on the guard that was put in charge to watch him. The floor beneath him was worn out due to the amount of pacing he has been doing. Any attempts at smashing through the bars, just equalled to several volts of electricity pulse through his body.

The guards found this, somehow, amusing. They were keeping track on how many time he would do that. He was already past the triple diget mark. A new man walked into the dim prison block. He had fairly long jet black hair tied in a spiky ponytail, narrow brown eyes, and wears ring earrings. He also seemed either sleepy, lazy, or irritated expression on his face. As well of a light cigarette.

He looked down at Naoto, who was sitting up against the stone wall, and blew out his smoke at him. "I am Shikamaru Nara. Who are you?"

"Captain. Naoto Kouzuki." Naoto said blankly.

"A Captain? You don't seem like you are in an army."

"I'm in a different type." He snickered. "Besides, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

The shadows in the room started to twist and bend, and it didn't help that their was so little light in the room. But either way, it made Naoto stand straight up. "Try me."

* * *

**The enemy of my enemy is my friend.**

**The friend of my enemy is my enemy.**

**And the my friend is their enemy.**

**Neck Time: Ninjas, Mandalorians, and Federalists.**

**Either way you look at it, enemies remain.**


	2. Ninjas, Mandalorians, and Federalists

It's been two years since the Federalists started their crusade across the universe, and ever since then Naoto has been flung from one galaxy to another in order to stop their killbots from controlling anymore planets. From the baptism of fire on Mandalore. To the hot, volcanic, and chaotic reality on Io. To the space battle, and eventual ground battle, on Lupus. And to through in all of the mercenary bands that the Feds paid off to fight against them. He was lucky just to come out with minor injuries. Through this war, he has seen his fair share of spectaculars and disasters. He has stood on the edge of a universe, he has also seen ships, friend and foe alike, been sucked into a black hole. On planets, the indigenous species have either seen Mandalorians as liberators or conquerors. Now the Feds, in order to spread more fear, gave Naoto a nickname. They label him as a "full-flesh demon", partly do to that arm of destruction and reconstruction. They even put a children's rhyme to it.

"Don't be spoiled, don't start a fight. Always be careful, here at night. Because the Demon might come, in suits that weigh half a ton. And he'll steal from you all you gots, just like he did from General Watts."

Not the best, but damn is it catchy. In fact, a lot of warriors, Naoto included, have caught themselves humming the melody of it when they weren't paying attention. One such insodence was on May 31st, 2143 at the Scyllion Warehouse District, on Charterburg XI. The Federalist spread mass propoganda around about the U.R. and Mandalorian to send the people public into a mass riot. And it also didn't help that the food supplies were being drastically cut for the war. Naoto, and the fighting 31st, were called in to quell these riots.

"They're not trying to push up the stairs hard enough," Keilara Santoniri said, ten minutes later.

So far Naoto had only fired warning shots. The rioters would peek around a corner and fire off a round, and he would too, and then there would be silence until the next rioter nerved up enough up enough to try doing the same thing.

"She's right." Jonnathan stepped forward, trying to look down the jerked back as someone fired a shot.

Plasma exploded against the walls of the foyer.

"They've got the Federalist weapons now." Keilara shuffled back from the doorway.

"So why aren't they rushing us?"Naoto asked. He scanned the rooftops. "They're up to _something_."

Keilara pulled a wicked-looking knife out of her boot and put it on the ground. "Naoto, go left, Jonnathan, right. Just start checking the edges. Don't pop your head over, just listen for anything. I'll hold point."

Naoto and Jonnathan took off at a crouch for the edge of the roof. Naoto skirted it, slowly moving against the concrete lip. The edge came up to his head.

On the other side of the building, he could see Jonnathan do the same.

Naoto made his way down one whole side of the building. His thighs burned from the awkward waddling be the end, he paused to stretch them out. Jonnathan stopped as well. But he wasn't stretching out his legs. He had his gun out.

Three men leapt over the lip near Jonnathan, with their leader vaulting the edge just behind them. The riot leader, named Kinicaide, charged them from the side, shooting down the first man, then the second.

Naoto couldn't risk firing, he'd just as likely hit Jonnathan at this distance, so he sprinted at the group. Kiniciade used the third man, a rioter, as a shield. He shoved the surprised civilian into Jonnathan, then shot them both with a plasma caribine. Naoto felt sick as he watched Jonnathan fall. Naoto had his pistol up without a second thought. as Kiniciade seemed to turn in slow motion, Naoto pulled the trigger.

He'd been aiming for the chest, but the first shot hit Kiniciade in the shoulder. It spun the Federalists back, and he struggled to bring the heavy plasma carbine back up to aim at Naoto. Naoto shot him in the chest, then the stomach, grazed his side, and then ran out of ammunition. He slammed into Kinicaide , grappling his alien weapons.

"Damn... U.R... dogs," Kinicaide spat, still trying to force the carbine up into Naoto's ribs or to grab the energy sword he had on his side. "Go back to hell! You don't belong here!"

Memories of the explosion in the cargo bay on the _Forrestor's Flight_, the flaming Transport a comrade of his piloted going down, wounded OTSCs gritting their teeth and bearing the pain as they waited for help, all filled Naoto's mind. He grunted and kept forcing the plasma carbine down until it was aimed at Kinicaide's feet.

He pulled the trigger, and a burst of white-hot plasma destroyed the Federalist's legs and threw Naoto back, still holding onto the carbine. Concrete bubbled where they'd stood, and Naoto felt his legs of his armor burning. He patted the fires out quickly, and looked back at Kinicaide. The man lost his left leg, blown clean off at the thigh. He'd been shot in the shoulder and chest. Yet he now had a small pistol in his right hand, lifting it up to point at at Naoto with determination in his glazed eyes.

Without hesitation, Naoto blew the Federalist's head off his body with a burst of plasma. His hands shook. He'd never shot a living organic life before. He'd shot at people, fired warning shots, practiced in drills, but never actually looked at someone in the eyes who was about to kill him, and beat him to a draw.

Jonnathan groaned, not in pain more like he was getting over a bad hangover. Naoto gagged at the smell of burning flesh.

"You all right?" Naoto yelled.

"It'll take a lot more then this to kill me!" He yelled at Naoto in his regular tone.

Naoto walked to the ledge and looked down. A fire truck had been commandeered, the latter pushed up to the roof. Several hundred rioters milled below, many with lesser Federalists weapons.

"Listen up!" Naoto held up his newly acquired plasma carbine and activated the energy sword as he shouted. "Anyone else tries storming this roof, I'll blow their damn heads off too!"

He fired the plasma carbine twice into the base of the ladder, and watched with satisfaction as metal slumped and the ladder slid off the side of the building, falling over toward the crowd. Rioters scattered as it struck the street in their midst.

"Now," Naoto snapped the word out, in full drill sergeant cadence. He may as well have been talking to a crowd of new recruits. "Universal Republic Commandoes are arriving any second! If I were you, I wouldn't want to be here to be standing around here in plain sight, lest they get the mistaken impression you're _hostile_, and act accordingly."

Naoto turned around and walked around and walked away from the edge.

"Check it out." Keilara said, pointing up.

Stars in the sky grew larger, twinkling brighter and brighter, until they could be seen streaking towards the building.

"The cavalry has arrived," Jonnathan said.

**Ninjas, Mandalorians, and Federalists.**

Naoto sat in front of the bars, his legs folded underneath him, watching the two guards and Shikamaru Nara. It was a modified warrior's crouch, one that let a Mandalorian rest with his legs beneath him, but in a manner that allowed one to leap up and forward in the blink of an eye. He'd spent long hours practicing with fellow warriors in the sandy training courtyards of the Central keep, learning the pose; now it came as second nature. He looked in the back of his boxers and found the hub for the energy sword.

"You all right now?" Shikamaru asked. Naoto sighed. "Will you answer our questions now?"

"I don't really have a choice."

"Where are you from?"

"The Republic of Mandalore."

"That explosion?"

"A Capital ship that a comrade and I blew up."

"Ah-ha..." Shikamaru said in disbelief.

"I told you you wouldn't believe me."

XxXxXxX

Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were still in his office as a new man and his posse entered the room. The man was a very tall, intimidating looking man with white-blond hair and a steel jaw. His right hand was replaced by a huge steel axe, the handle of which seems to go right through his forearm. His posse looked like skeletons made completely out of metal and in human clothing. They were packing heavy weapons and had several grenades strapped across their chests.

"Commodore Danigo," The man tilted his head to Naruto. "Now this, even a messenger can be held accountable here."

"Sounds reasonable." Commodore Chester Danigo said.

"So what have you come here for?"

"Earth and water."

"So... mud?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"Very funny. I represent the Federalist army. We are on the brink of controlling the universe, what we need are alliances to crush our enemies."

"So you chose us?" Naruto asked. "I don't know if I should be honored or worried."

"You have nothing to worry about." Danigo said. "We can give you protection, weapons to crush you enemies, and power for you and your lovely wife."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, slightly blushing. "We're not married."

"My apologies. If you fight for us, we can give you this planet. All we ask for in return is: give use soldiers and use of your land. A token of Konohagakure's submission to the will of the Federalists."

"Submission?" Naruto said. "Well, that's a bit of a problem. See, rumor has it that Kumogakure have already turned you down. And if those philosophers and... lightning-freaks have found that kind of nerve—"

"You must be diplomatic -."

Naruto cut him off. "And of course _Konohagakure_... has her reputation to consider."

The mechanical warriors were able to catch three ANBUs by their arms and forced their machine guns into their necks. The other two pointed their guns at Naruto and Sakura. "Choose your next words carefully, Uzumaki. They may be your last as the leader."

XxXxXxX

A shockwave came from above, knocking some dirt and pebbles onto Naoto's and Shikamaru's head. "What the hell is going on up their."

Their was a smell of plasma and oil seeping through the cracks. Naoto knew this smell far to well. "Hey! Deerman!"

"Deerman?"

"You have to let me out!"

"Why?"

"Because, if you don't; everyone _will _die!"

Another stronger shock-wave ripped through. Strong enough to knock the door off. Naoto sprung up and pulled out the hub of the energy sword. A blade form of superheated plasma came out in the form of two cutlasses on each side. He then sliced a bolder that was heading for Shikamaru in two. "Thank you for taking care of me, now I'll show my way out!"

XxXxXxX

Naruto and Sakura were now at the mercy of weapons they couldn't begin to comprehend. And here was a axe-armed mad man holding the start button. "Now we can do two things. My commander made this very clear. Either you can join us and rule like a king. Or rebel and die like a dog. Three seonds. Three... two.."

"ONE!" Naoto came burst through the wall. His left hand of destruction was straight out while he had the energy sword in the other. He grabbed on to one of the killbots head, sending a pulse of pure energy though it. The clankers head became smashed in like a tin can. Naoto then threw the sword into another clankers torso, over riding it's life support system, as the headless one fell to the ground. He grabbed the headless weapons, which were two type-52 Rapid Pistol, or g"Gravellers" and shot the rest of the clackers.

A pistol, that's what the higher up classify it. More like a handheld shotgun than anything else. It has an unusual design more comparable to a revolver than a shotgun with regards to its loading style. The magazine holds 5 shells of an unknown type of ammunition. The magazine appears to constantly keep the shell at a consistent superheated temperature.

When Naoto pointed the two shotgun pistols at Danigo, who, in the chaos, took Sakura as a hostage and was keeping the blade on her neck.

"A Mandalorian?" He chuckled. "Amazing that a U.R. dog would follow me all the way here."

Naoto kept the two gun focus on Danigo as he saw now form of fear or doubt in Sakura's eyes."Put the guns down, and I'll let the lady go."

He sighed as he lowered the two weapons enemy weapons. Sakura nor Naruto showed any form of fright or worry. A red targeting laser was painted on Sakura's forehead, it then grew several centimeters as the dot became a beam of light. A vicious looking beam came out of Naoto's right eye, blowing through Sakura, Danigo, and anything on the roof tops until it hit the main walls. White steam came pouring out of right nostril and mouth as his laser eye cooled down.

"Well,... that's... new..." Naruto said with his mouth at his ankles.

"I can say the same fore you." Naoto said as the real Sakura stood next to him. "A clone technique. Very clever."

"You could tell?" Sakura asked.

"Clones don't give off any heat signs."

Naoto walked over to Danigo, who was barely alive, and stood over him. "Okay you son of a bitch, who sent you?"

"You... DEMON!..." Danigo spat out blood and various other fluids. "Your... will burn!"

Naoto stepped on the laser burn, sending pain through the dieing Federalist's Commodore's body. "Who sent you?"

"UCHIHA!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Naoto took his foot off Danigo's chest. "... Sasuke..."

This was a new Commander for Naoto. He knew, killed, some of the Commanders and head Commanders over the years of the war. He looked back at Naruto and Sakura who were pail white with down right fear in their eyes.

XxXxXxX

Sector 23, Burning Afterlife Fleet watched as one of their main Capital ships came back with one less Commodore. A Killbot walked into the main bridge where nine people sat in a audience chamber like room. Their leader-ish person sat on a throne at the end of the room.

"Major Commander!" The Killbot said in a standard mechanical un-monotone way. "Commodore Chester Danigo was killed in the negotiation."

"And the other bots we sent with him?" The Major Commander said.

"Unresponsive, sir." The bot said. "Killed by a Mandalorian warrior."

A bot of controlled lightning destroyed the bot, leaving the burned out frame on the floor. The throne turned around revealing the Major Commander. He was a grown man, he had black hair with a blue tint, which was lengthened past his ears and hung over both sides of his face to roughly frame his cheeks, and onyx eyes. His onyx eyes then turned red with the Mangekyō Sharingan in their place.

"Maybe it's time I made a little pilgrimage home." Sasuke Uchiha smiled.

* * *

**If we destroy the Past,**

**We can't have a Future.**

**If we destroy the Future,**

**We can only live in the Past.**

**Next Time: Tradition vs Grit**


	3. Tradition vs Grit

Insurrectionist Freighter Forrestor's Flight, Outer Belt, 36 Ophiuchi Centauri system.

There is only one planet in this entire system called Omega XII. Not a very big planet, and it is only a huge mass of rock floating in the middle of space. It can't really hold life without the usage of air-domes and other forms of life sustaining technology. The Federalists have been hiring rebels, anarchists, and even remainders of the former Noble families and followers of Mandalore, the U.R. has classified them as Insurrectionists to fight for them. In return, the Federalists would give them money, weapons, technology, power, slaves, in other words anything you could think of. The _Forrestor's Flight _was an Insurrectionist freighter which always seemed to slip by every trap and blockade imaginable. In the past, Commandoes have tried, and failed, to board the ship. Now it was turn for the elite OTSC and Mandalorians to take the reins... They couldn't be more wrong.

Four explosions rocked the inside of the cargo bay. Debris flew through the air and clattered off the wall, then rained down to the floor. A thick haze of smoke filled the air, making it nearly impossible to breathe, even with the helmet on. Naoto laid on his side, blinking away the blood trickling down his forehead into his eyes. He tried to get on his hands and knees to stand, but he couldn't quite manage it.

An OTSC HellRanger grabbed his arm. "Come on, sir, you just got your bell rung."

The OTSCs of the 105th, or HellRangers as they were also called, clad in black vacuum-rated armor, mirror-faced helmets and all were scrambling for cover.

The trooper was right. Naoto could hardly focus on the grating on the floor right under the HellRanger's boots. He leaned against the Hellranger's body against the Hellranger's body armor, struggling to keep under his own power. The mission was simple, go in with the 105th OTSC, secure the supplies, capture as many Insurrectionists as possible, then destroy the data and engines to leave it for the scrapers. But then everything went to hell. The ship and some of the cargo crates in its hangar were rigged with explosives. When the 105th and Naoto arrived on the ship via Tortoise transportship, the Insurrectionists detonated the crates.

The thick haze was starting to clear. Naoto let the Hellranger set him down against the side of the container where they'd come in. Naoto could see the high tail of the Tortoise around the edge of the container in front of him. The other wounded OTSCs sat by him, armor ripped open or dented from container shrapnel. Several of the bodies just laid still, flat on the floor. Naoto swallowed and took his helmet off to wipe away the blood. He could feel the warm trickle of more coming.

"Where's Clovfield?" He wanted to find out what the veteran OTSC commander was doing.

"Clovfield's dead, sir." The soldier who'd dragged him to safety was checking people for injuries, spraying Instal-Heal into wounds to try and stabilizing things. They needed to evacuate quickly before they lost more soldiers.

"Dead?" Naoto blinked more stinging blood and sweat out of his eyes." Who's in charge?"

Naoto was overwhelmed with the thought that the entire cargo bay had been a trap that he had led good men into.

"Fassion, sir."

Naoto felt for his ear piece and realized he'd broke it in the shock-wave. "Someone toss me their helmet ASAP. I need a heads-up and comms."

A wounded soldier threw his helmet over, Naoto slapped it it on his head, wincing when it touched. Whatever hit him had glanced off his skull, giving him a head wound and most likely a concussion.

"Fassion, this is Naoto, give me a sit-rep."

"_Shaped charges on the containers, sir. Insurrectionists no doubt. Three of them attacked us when the explosions happened._"

"Any survivors?" Naoto had hoped that they'd capture them alive, to get some information out of them.

Fassion cleared her throat over the air. "_One. He's with the wounded. Sir, they were shooting at us. We thought it prudent to return fire._"

"I understand that." Naoto said. "I was hoping for intel-like how many more surprises might be waiting. You're securing the ship, checking for others?"

"_Yessir._" Fassion sounded a bit annoyed. "_Of course, sir. And an emergency beacon has been triggered to bring the _Dark Thunder_ in with reinforcements. We'll move right through this boat and set our own fireworks._"

"I'm sure you will," Naoto muttered.

"_And if you don't mind, sir, I don't someone second guessing my orders and looking over my shoulder. All things considered, sir, you're Mandalorian, I'm the Commando. Let's stay out of each others way._"

The loud roaring in the cargo bay had grown a bit more noticeable. Naoto looked at the soldier checking the wounded over and ignored Fassion's disdain for a more immediate concern. "Comrade, where are we losing air from?"

"Everywhere," Came the response. "The explosives punched holes all over this little tub."

"Damn!" Naoto said, looking around at the wounded and living OTSC. "I hope that the _Dark Thunder _gets here soon."

"We'll think of something," the Hellranger said, glancing over at the Tortoise.

Naoto tapped his earpiece. "Jeffries, Naoto here. Acknowledge."

Silence.

With a grunt Naoto got to his feet and stumbled over to the container. He leaned up against it and slid around the corner.

**Tradition vs. Grit**

Naoto finally ate his fill of twenty full bowls' of beef and rice. He finally cooled down and started to pick his teeth when Naruto asked him the question that has been on their mind ever since he arrived. "Who and what are you?"

"Naoto Kouzuki-Wynne. Captain third class in the 31st regiment of the Mandalorian army. And what I am is a Mandalorian-human mix."

"And these Mandalorian..." Naruto said. "What are they?"

"You study ninjistu right?" Naoto asked. "That means you learned how to control and use chakra. Mandalorians, as well as many other intelligent life forms, have taken a different turn. Advance machinery and the laws physic reign supreme. But it is incredibly violent. Throughout the corse of this war millions upon billions of people have died caused by highly toxic gases and firearms that can send one, or several, projectiles at a high velocity through a controlled explosion. And you already got a front row seat of the single most terrifying weapon know to the whole universe. A nuclear weapon."

"New-clear?"

"These are weapons... do you know what an atom is?"

"Yes, I know what an atom is."

"Well,this weapon can either break down or compress atoms at such a rate that causes to explode in a fire ball that almost equals a sun. In the early days, they used to give off radiation which poisoned the survivors causing blindness, birth defects, various types of cancers, weakened tissues, and so on. This is, and still now, a weapon of great victory and greater fear."

"And you used one of these bombs?" Naruto asked.

"It's a long story, but I _used _several." Naoto leaned back. "It's a real long story."

Naruto smiled like a fox. "I have a lot of time."

XxXxXxX

In the north-eastern sector of Konohagakure, one four man squad was investigating very sudden disappearances and reports of unknown, un-describable, creatures. The squad consisted of two Jōnins' and two Chūnins' and one dog the size of an SUV.

Their leader lifted her hand up, causing them to hold up and disperse.

The female leader had dark blue hair, fair skin, and white eyes, with a tinge of lavender. On the right side of her cheek was red fang marking. Full-figured and allowed her hair grow to waist-length, with straight-cut bangs which conceal her forehead. The strands that frame her face still remain, but are longer due to hair growth. Her outfit comprises of flak jacket with lesser neck and shoulder protection but more pouches on each side of their chest for scrolls, medicine, and ninja tools. She also wore the standard dark-purple/off black shinobi jump suit.

The other Jonin was a male and seemed to be the other person the huge canine liked. His appearance was down right wild. While clearly human, he has several physical traits more akin to animals. He has messy brown hair, sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, pronounced canine teeth, and nails that he can change into claws. He also has the distinct red fang markings of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks. He wore the same style of flak jacket with more neck and shoulder protection. But unlike the standard jumpsuit, he wore black pants reaching to his calves and a black, form fitting black jacket; over an apparent plate of armor and fishnet undershirt.

They each wore a wedding band on their fingers, and seemed to keep them very close.

Soon enough, one of the Chunins came across relay beacon. "Found the beacon."

He tossed the beacon to Hinata. "Make out any ID?"

"Negative," Hinata said as she looked it over. "But it's military."

She then dropped the beacon on the ground.

"So where are all the other shinobis'?"

"Why are we not seeing explosives or chakra residue?" Hinata looked around the area.

"Naraku," Kiba said. "Can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?"

"Hmm..." The Chunin known as Naraku scanned the area via a meditation pose. "Negative, sir."

"Plasma, maybe." The other Chunin said. "There's a lot of blood on the ground."

"Boss, I'm sensing heat-sigs in the structure ahead!"

They made a mad dash through the woods to farm clearing. Running through the bombed out and burned fields, they soon made it to the main household. The door opened, and a civilian male stepped out. Other civilians were remaining inside.

"On your knees, now!" Naraku ordered.

"They're not rebels, they're farmers. Look at them." The other Chunin said. They tried to ask the man questions, but they soon learned that he only know how to speak in Hungarian.

"Moroku," Kiba said. "Ask him what they're doing here."

Moroku started to ask the man questions in his native tongue, and then he would translate. "Hiding, sir. Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, a lot of loud booms. It stopped around sunrise."

The man continued to talk, which almost brought him to tears. "He says something in the fields...killed his son."

"Some_thing?_" Kiba hated when things are to discrete. "Get them back inside."

"Azt mondtam, befelé! I said get in! Get in!" Moroku ordered. The farmers soon did what they were told.

They then sprinted towards the neighboring property. The result was the same their, but this time the buildings looked like a bomb blast ripped through it. The group soon found several human corpses, including two uniformed ones pinned onto the wall.

"Damn..." Kiba sighed. He kneeled down over the pools of blood and examines his former comrades. Alain-like footprints were seen in the blood. "Send word back to Naruto. We've got military casualties, two of the missing shinobis. Looks like they were interrogated... It's messy."

He then saw his wife staring off into space with an intense look in her eyes.

"Hinata." The Jonin tapped his wife on her shoulder. "What do you see?"

Hinata's pupils became more distinct, her eyes were completely white, and her veins near their temples bulge. "I can't tell."

"What do mean?"

"There is something, but at the same time... nothing."

"What does that mean?" Kiba was even more confused. "Are they shinobis', bandits', what are they?"

The huge canine then started to act funny, as if someone was behind them. "What is it Akimaru?"

Akimaru started to growl, it then got louder and fuller. They both looked back and saw that both Naraku and Moroku were brutally slaughtered. Plasma residue surrounded their corpes and the blown off limbs of their former bodies. They gagged at the smell of burned and bubbling flesh. "What the hell is going on?"

Kiba then dove forward to knock Hinata to the ground before a plasma sword took her entire head off. Two gold and black, more advanced, killbots appeared from thin air with their alien weapons at the ready.

"We're gonna lose some paint in here." Kiba gritted his teeth.

XxXxXxX

So after spending some time explaining how this war started and how Naoto became a part of it. He thought it would be a good idea to stretch his legs out and get a look at the village. He was given some closes to wear. The only problem was, his every move was being followed and it was getting _pretty _old. No matter where or how fast he ran, he could not shake the person who was watching him from the shadows. He then got an idea that only a trickster could think up.

He ran into an alley way and then doubled back out. This didn't fool his watcher what so ever, so he continued to follow him. His peruser had short ink-black hair, ink black eyes, and extremely pale skin. He wore the standard ANBU uniform, be instead carried around a large collection of scribes and a picture book.

_"Ha,"_ Another Naoto came from the alley. _"I knew that little, experimental, hologram system would come in handy. Now, lets do a little exploring."_

Naoto seemed to enjoy the evening village. The stores and restaurants were in full swing and everyone seemed polite. It was like an old japanese charm. And using was is best way to put it, because it was hard to pin point what time period the village was in. On one side, these people have no motorized forms of mechanics or have ever seen a gun before. At the same time they have computers, head sets, utility poles, electrical wires, phones, and refrigerators as well. So is are they in present times?... Or the past?... What times are they in?

He then came across the home of Haruno Sakura who was yelling out a storm into her phone. Now Naoto is not one to ease-drop, in fact he would rather ignore it and be on his way. But when he heard the sheer hatred in Sakura's voice about a "beast" which then link to "Sasuke". He figured that this could be confidential. Using a special device on his eye he was able to record the phones conformation history, from start to finish.

Able to slip past Sakura as she headed up stairs. Naoto was free to play back the message in his head.

/Phone Ringing/

Sakura Haruno: /Hello?/

Ino Akimichi: /I know the color of your panties./

Sakura: /Knock it off naruto, I know is you./

Ino: /Naruto? No it's me, Ino./

Sakura: /Ino!... ... It's been a while.../

Ino: /I can say the same about you. Why did you think I was Naruto? Has he been peeking on you again?/

Sakura: /Iif he was, do you think we will still HAVE a sixth Hokage?/

Ino: /Good point. By the way, you're not doing anything tonight, are you?/

Sakura: /Well, there are some things I need to take care of at the hospital./

Ino: /Great! I'll meet you at Osakas in half an hour! Be sure to wear something sexy!/

Sakura: /Half an hour! Wait Ino!/

Ino's side of the line was already ringing out a dial tone. A new number then came up.

Sakura: /(sigh)... Hello./

Amaya Haruno: /Sakura? Is something wrong?/

Sakura: /Sorry, mom. Yeah, everything's fine. I just got off the phone with Ino./

Amaya: /I don't know why you are friends with her. You know she makes you very angry./

Sakura: /And yet somehow we are best friends./

Amaya: /You sound over worked. Maybe you should take a few days off./

Sakura: /I have enough work to do for the hospital. I would have _less_, if Naruto ever gave us the money for Medical-nin's./

Amaya: /Well what did you expect from a beast?/

Sakura: /I thought we agreed that-/

Amaya: /I know, I know. We wouldn't talk about that because he protected the village and he is the Hokage. But remember Sakura, no matter how good he is, no matter how many things he has done for the village. He's still a monster underneath it all./

Sakura: /Well Sasuke was no better!/

Amaya: /I never said that./

Sakura: /No. But you had that tone!... I have to go./

/Dial Tone/

That was the end of Sakura's phone history of today. Naoto sighed, it was just one big waste of time. But at least he was able to get a little background history about these people. The front door to Sakura's home started to open, meaning Naoto had to hide or explain why he was snooping around.

Sakura stepped out of her house in, what Naoto considered, regular clothing. She was dress in a white blouse, blue jeans, and have her long pink hair was wrapped into a pony tail. She looked over to see if anyone was either following her or just plain eyeing her. After she left her property, Naoto came out of hiding on the roof top.

XxXxXxX

It was almost eight o'clock and Naruto just finished off the last piece of paperwork, sorted it and then relaxed for a second... until Shikamaru plopped a new load on his desk.

"Oh, common, Shikamaru. Have a heart." He whined at the new load of work.

"What can I say, Naruto." He said as he blew out a plum of smoke. "It's the same old song and dance. Taxes are to high, plumbing needs improvements, neighbors are to loud. Hard to believe seven years ago we put our selfish needs aside for the Fifith Shinobi War."

"So?" Naruto said as regular Naruto. "I think it's great. People are finally heading forward. Don't you think that is a good thing?"

"Your asking the wrong guy."

"Is everything all right, Shika?"

Before he could enter, the ANBU, that was following Naoto, appeared in the office. "Sai?"

"Lord Hokage. I have lost sight of the alien."

"I never gave you the order to follow him." Naruto said at the same time he was looking at Shikamaru.

"Also." Sai said in a quiet tone. "Goup 3 three came back. They have casualties."

Without giving it a second thought, Naruto grabbed his coat and was out the door with Shikamaru quickly on his tail.

"Naruto stop!" He was able to get in front of Naruto and hold him back before he got to the front door. "Think about this. Do you really want the populace to see you _this _hysterical?"

"I don't care!" Naruto snapped. "If they have casualties, then I need to now whom and why!"

"That's why you have people, like me, in the special corp!" Shikamaru snapped, causing Naruto to regain somewhat of his head. "We are the ones who react to this kind of news."

"I know that!" Naruto snapped."But with these new occurances happening... how can I call myself a leader if I'm not the first to know about it!"

He pushed past Shikamaru and left the building.

XxXxXxX

Hinata cried out in pain as Kiba sat next to her; absolutely helpless to ease her pain. In the midst of their retreat, Hinata was hit by plasma shrapnel from one of the killbots' weapons. Now here he was, two good Chunins dead, and one badly injured, and nothing he could do about it.

Hinata cried out again, grasping Kiba's arm. "Hinata!"

She was asleep at the time, but the inguries still had their hold on her. Kiba cradled her, which seemed to give her some peace but not enough.

"Plasma wound?" Naoto, somehow making it onto the fourth floor, stood in the window cill.

"Who are you!" Kiba snapped, which caused Akimaru to wake up.

"Just a world weary wanderer who helps whom ever is in need." He hopped down into the room. Naoto then did a move which, in other circumstances, would have his head caught off. Or in this case, bitten off. He started to remove her bandages. He saw that her skin was badly burned, and pus and hardening blood was starting to cover it. "This is first degree plasma wounds. Painful, because they effect the top nerve receptors. Good news it can be treatable and cured with minimum scarring."

"So what can I do for her?" Kiba asked, showing that he was willing to cooperate.

"You have to do what I tell you." Naoto was now the head doctor. "Grab as many bottles of Milk of Manganese as you can."

Half an hour later, they were able to construct a liquid cast. "So... are you sure this stuff works?"

"Works on plasma burns, regular burns, frost bite, tooth aches, and motion sickness."

"Even stomach bugs?"

"Sure, why not."Naoto the used the back side of Hinata's medical chart and a took out a pen. "Did you see your attackers?"

"Seems a bit irrelivant."

"Just answe the question."

"Yes, I saw them. To much of them, if you ask me." He sat neck to his canine partner. "They were gold and black. And they looked like human, but they were made out of metal. They would take away our numbers, then show themselves to finish us off."

Naoto flipped the board around, showing the description. "Yep, that's what they looked like."

"Shit!" Naoto swore. "The XII-TDV, Tactical Droid Vanguard, is the best and most expensive combat affiliated droid in the Federalists arsenal. They are equipped with a dexterity arm for hacking terminals and grasp with, and a multi-type, modifiable weapon arm, and made with the same material used to create plasma swords. The XII also defeats any cloaked targets by being able to see with motion and thermal detection, and is built with a modifiable advanced AI processor to better assess situations and use its surroundings to its advantage. Meaning instant death to anyone who goes against it."

XxXxXxX

Deap down, in the plateau of Kohana; an elevator reached the final floor and Shikamaru and Sai walked off. They were greeted by a woman with dark green eyes and blond hair, which is gathered into four pigtails arranged around her head. She wore short-sleeved black robe that reaches down to her legs, with slits along the side and a more revealing neckline. While she retains a red sash tied around her waist, she now uses black gloves and wears her headband over her forehead. On her back was a fan fit for giant, and she seemed like a woman who would take one down.

The entire room was completely blacked out, until it was lit from ground to roof with monitor screens and personals that stretched the entire length of the plateau. They were on the main catwalk, which saw over all of the special corp. They walked by several of the workers, each one reading different mineral energies.

"Shika... Sir," The woman said. "The Dark Matter institute was successful in activating the Nova Computer."

"Good."

"Congratulation, sir." Sai said with his classic empty smile. "Your dream is finally coming true."

"Yes it is. Soon enough we will unlock this universes secrets."

"Naruto, the elder, and even the citizens, they have all grown weak and compliacent. " The woman said in a hate filled tone. "You are the only one holding this country together."

Shikamaru stopped. "It's not only me. It is also you, Temari, and the rest of the younger generation."

Everyone, excluding Sai, saluted Shikamaru out of respect. Because he knew he was the king

* * *

**What seperates a true king from a tyrant?**

**Mercy**

**What seperates a true leader from a fool?**

**Patience**

**What seperates a lout from a good man?**

**Understanding**

**What seperates a monster from a human?**

**Modesty**

**Next Time: A Beast in the Dark.**

**Some people on this planet are the ideal avatars of all which should not be in a leader of any size, let alone a king.**


	4. A Beast in the Dark

June 1st, 2143 at the Scyllion Warehouse District, on Charterburg XI.

Scyllion fires were being put out by Commandoes and other Ally Forces, but that didn't stop it from burning. The rioters were being rounded up, check over, given medical care and food and water, and then sent on their ways. Any Federalists or Insurrectionists were arrested on the spot. Warren Jeffries was able swing his Tortoise around and picked the three Mandalorians up and were bringing them back to XANARCTEOS base for some well earned rest and relaxation.

Jeffries lazily swung the Tortoise above the tightlt clustered skyscrapers of the city, and though the patches of billowing, black smoke from burning piles of furniture and barrels on the roads.

"Food riots," Jonnathan said, hanging on to the webbing and looking out off the side of the Tortoise with Keilara and Naoto. Jeffries had already opened one of the blast-proof door for a hot drop.

Naoto walked to the back and looked out. "I never thought I'd see anything like this in the Inner Circle. Especially one under Ally Forces control."

"Hold tight everyone!" Jeffries shouted back. The Tortoise slowly banked around a set of towers.

Jonnathan looked out at the random pillar of smoke mingled among the concrete, steel, and mirrored windows of the city. "It started as a corporate mining town."

"A what?" Naoto asked.

"The whole thing was laid out and designed to keep all money in the corporation." Keilara explained. "You worked for them, paid rent to stay in an apartment which they built by a division of the mining company. You shopped at company run-stores. You traveled on the company lines. It is an example that used to be taught in business schools."

"So what's happening now?" As Jeffries straightened the Tortoise out of the city fell away behind them, towers glinted as the sun rose behind the city skyline, its orange hues streaking the clouds. Scyllion became the Gold City once more due to the sunrise filtering through the windows.

"They had a monopoly; they started raising prices dramatically. People became trapped. Once here, the price of living exceeded their company pay, putting them further and further in debt with no way out. That where you get the line, I owe my soul to the company store."

"It became a problem when a rival company tried to get mining rights and was barred by puppet government the company funded here on Charterburg XI." Jonnathan rubbed his sore wound. "So the new company funded dissatisfied and trapped workers back in '35, hoping to shake things up politically a bit, and Scyllion's police shot a few of them during a protest march. Since then, Insurrectionists and Federalists have been trying to set up shop here. Scyllion's corporate masters are now spending more money on trying to get everything they can off planet and back to colonies closer to Coldholt to protect their assets. The U.R. recommended that the Allied Forces implemented martial law two years ago."

"We just don't have the troops and ships to spare," Naoto finished their story.

The Tortoise flew over the edges of Scyllion, passing over the rest of the warehouses and a long snaking river. It then turned into wide grassy plains. Jeffries then adjusted the controls and the Tortoise started to climb higher and higher into a growing mountain range.

"_Welcome to XANARCTEOS base._" Jeffries said on his ear piece.

XANARCTEOS base is very small military base, built of ice and set beneath a cliff. It once belonged to a mild-mannered countess but she gave it up for the cause. Now it was gutted and filled with types of military goodies. They put their helmets back on so they would not be effected by the sub-zero degree weather and high altitudes. They then stepped off the Tortoise and brought Jonnathan to the medical bay.

**A Beast in the Dark**

Sakura sat at Osakas Dumpling bar waiting for here friend/rival to arrive. When she did, she made the entire restaurant know. "HEY FOREHEAD! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Sakura, face turned completely red, sunk down in her chair to at least hide from the crazy woman. Unfortunately for her, Ino was able to sniff her down in no time.

"There you are!" Ino hugged her friend. "I was looking for you!"

"Hell, Ino..." Sakura sighed.

So they finally sat down and ordered their meals. Sakura had syrup-coated anko dumplings, umeboshi, and anmitsu while Ino had a salad of cherry tomatoes and a side of pudding.

"So how are the kids?" Sakura asked.

"Well they complain that I give them too much work, but that's life."

"I mean _your _kid."

"Oh, well, Chikyu will be starting at the Ninja academy. Choji is actually nervous about it, but I think she will do fine."

"Well that is his only daughter."

"But it was enjoyable making her... bringing her out, not so much." Ino finished eating her salad. "So how does it feel to live with a ghost?"

"A ghost?"

"You know sasuke. Those few good memories you have."

"You mean besides sad and disappointed ones?"

"No."

"Then I already answer your question."

The rosette when back to finish her meal but Ino continued the conversation.

"So how those it feel to be horny all the time and no one to please it?"

The rosette snapped at the platinum blond question and say. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Jeez relax sakura, I'm just kidding. Besides, if you keep over working soon enough you will be classify as a cougar. You already became less flat chested. In fact you give Lady Tsunade a run for her money."

Sakura looked down at her chest, and it then dawned on her that a lot of her shirts and blouses have been getting tighter. And now thinking back, it's _very_ embaracing. But either way, she had to get out of it. "Like you?"

"That was after the war, I'm already married. But I wouldn't mind having a little affair with that new red head."

"You're terrible, you know that."

"_Right_," Ino mocked. "And I guess it's got nothing to do with being on Naruto like white on rice, either."

"I was not!" Sakura's face turned bright red as that old rumor came up yet again.

"Oh please!" Ino huffed, crossing her arms and turning so she could glare at Sakura from the corners of her eyes. "I find you two tangled up in each other's arms at least three times a month! And try it's the whole, 'But we're sparing' excuse again. Listen, I don't care what you do with your love life, but don't lie to me, okay? I think we've been friends long enough to where I deserve that, at least."

"Ino, we're not," Sakura said, massaging her forehead. "There's nothing between me and Naruto. Not now, at any rate."

"'Not now?'"

"We kissed," Sakura admitted, looking away in shame and a different type of feeling. "And he asked me to stay with him... But that was because I was drunk on Sake at the time, and he was concerned for my safety!"

"_Right_... the drunk excuse." Ino muttered. She didn't need to this during a peaceful get together. After a moment, she asked, "I take it as 'no' to the rumors?"

"Pretty much."

"Pretty much."

Two Medical-nins appeared before the table. "Lady Sakura."

They whispered something incoherient into her ear. "I see," She got up and left the table. "There is a emergency at the hospital. I'll see you next time."

Sakura left with the medical-nins, leaving Ino with an unsuspected gift. "HEY, FOREHEAD! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME WITH THE BILL! YOU ATE MORE THAN I DID!"

XxXxXxX

Shikamaru stood in front of a human-sized tube. The room then filled with lights from the many computer screens.

"All systems are go. The organic computer has been activated."

"Good." He said. "Well done. Now will you all please leave the room."

All of the programers looked at Shikamaru like he was crazy. "Do not enter until I am finished in here."

"Understood." His team did as they were told and left the room.

"Now... It's time for you to tell me the truth. Open your eyes, Orochimaru."

The head of the former Konohagakure's Sannin, leader of Otogakure, and was soul responsible of causing the most pain to Konoha. And all he was to his name, was a head, in a test tube, with wires keeping him alive. He yawned, as if he just woke up from a long nap.

XxXxXxX

Naruto finally made it into the hospital lobby before the rainstorm started. Naruto stormed through the lobby, hospital nurses and doctors rolling other victims from the same types of attacks. He didn't even bother with the front desk, walking right past the nurse who tried to stop him from going beyond her desk but the withering look he gave her shut her up immediately.

The doors to the private wing slid open and he immediately spotted Kiba emerging from a room, running a hand over his face, a band aid on his upper left cheek with white gauze wrapped around his forearm.

"Kiba, what the hell happened?" He demanded. Kiba had some bandages on his face and forehead and his arm was tied in a medical sling.

"Naruto?-" The frazzled Hokage grabbed Kiba by the jacket and shook him hard, the brown haired ninja not resisting one bit to the assault.

"TELL ME!" Naoto broke out of the emergency room down the hall trying to remove the cloth gauzes' around his face with several nurses emerged after him; they were trying to put the bandages back on.

"Hinata is sleeping right now." Kiba said as they watched Naoto fight against the doctors and nurses. "The brawler you see there, was the one who came up with the 'cure.'."

Naruto breezed out a small sigh of relief. "Well don't be that relieved. We still have casualties."

"How many?"

"Two." Kiba said with a heavy tone. "Naraku and Moroku,-"

"Both died with an energy sword through their abdomens!" Naoto yelled from down the hall in the brawl pile.

"Kiba Inuzaku." Naruto addressed his friend in the classic leadership way. "You and Hinata Inuzaku's mission was to investigate the constant disappearances in the north-eastern sector. You engaged the enemies, and through that you lost two of your men!... But at least you came back alive."

It was now ten at night. Days, or in this case evenings, like today made Sakura grateful Tsunade had taken her in as an apprentice. Every time Sakura saved a life she said a small thank you to her mentor. And also leaving Ino with the bill didn't hurt every time Sakura could make her rounds at the hospital after a night of heavy drinking with no hangover, Sakura sent the retired Fifth Hokage a bottle of wine and a card. Once she entered the building she was automatically swarmed by her staff of many doctors and nurses. Sakura grinned at her own staff, as they trailed behind her like a flagging marathon runner. Admittedly, there had been an extra spring in her step that evening, but Sakura derived no small pleasure from watching her staff flounder at the frenetic pace. Seeing her staff's paling and down right confused expression, she ordered them to get back to work with the tensasity of an experienced drill sergeant. One came up to her, unafraid of Sakura's demanding orders. This was her young apprentice as well as her adopted daughter named Abumi.

Abumi was originally from the Land of Earth, but do to the war, and many other factors, her parents and entire clan was killed and left her as an orphan. Sakura took her on as her apprentice and through that adopted her. She was six back when Sakura picked her up, so by now she is thirteen years old and has the IQ of a seasoned college professor. As appearances go, she couldn't be farther off from Sakura. Abumi is a dark skinned kunoichi with long red hair and amber eyes. And the way she acts you could swear that there were a good percentage of Naruto were in her.

She handed a over-weight clip board filled with paper of the many wounded shinobis. Each one had similar ailments. Some being simple flesh wounds, to complete limbs being blown off, to forms of shellshock, and some tramatic that they died from the shock.

"I think the next patient on the docket is Hyuuga Hanabi," Sakura said with relish. "She was one of the ANBU contingent that was injured last week. Hanabi-chan was stabilized but needed some recovery time. We're going to do a routine check-in to make sure things are progressing nicely."

It may have been cruel, but Sakura wanted to cackle every time her daughter flinched at Hanabi's name. The young Hyuuga kunoichi had made a name for herself for her ninja skills, but she'd made an even bigger name for herself as a horribly uncooperative patient. That Sakura was prolonging her stay just a smidge may have contributed to her infamously sour manner.

"Mom," Abumi asked, her voice not quite steady. "Do you really need me for Hyuuga-san's check?"

"No, I guess I don't _need_ you for it," Sakura drawled, offering the poor girl a tiny sliver of hope. Just before she summarily crushed it by saying, "But it'll be good practice!"

Sakura basked in the miasma of anguish Abumi's aura had become. She was just about to tell the girl not to worry about it when she felt a familiar pull on her senses to a point her vision went spotty. It was had to be Naruto's fox chakra, no other person had it.

Back in Hinata's room, Kiba and Naruto were trying to crack Naoto for information. Kiba went first, "You know what those things were, you know what types of weapons they used. All we want to know is how to kill them."

Naoto was sat in a chair in the room. He was hesitant to speak. "Anything I tell you would be considered leaking of classified information. Not only will my higher ups strip me of my rank, but I'll be thrown in jail."

"So do it that you don't get caught!" Kiba snapped.

"Even if I could." Naoto said. "No matter what information I give you, your ninja tools and techniques can't do a thing against the Kill-bots."

Naruto stepped in before things got messy. "Look, I'm grateful that you were able to ease one of my friend's pain. But, if you don't tell us, a lot more people will die of these... 'Kill-bots', and the blood will be on your hands."

Naoto started to way his options. "I'll cut you a deal. I'll tell you everything that I know about the Feds, and you give me my supply back. Sounds fair?"

"Very."

XxXxXxX

Back within the secret research facilty...

"Where... am I?" The head of Orochimaru asked.

"It's been several years since you died." Shikamaru said. "Then again... I suppose I shouldn't say 'you'. Orochimaru's knowledge and _wisdom_ remains now as data, but we didn't go as far as reproducing your personality."

"Opening Hells' gates and pulling out the dead?" Orochimaru's head said. "And you called me sadistic. What a thing to do just out of curiosity."

"It's because you died without giving us any of your research to fall upon. This time, however, you cannot escape." Shikamaru said. "Now tell me. What are we dealing with, and who are these people from the skies? And most importantly, what does it have to do with us?"

Back in the hospital room...

"This planet is classified as a Mark 2 Planet." Naoto said. "It has not developed any form of space technology. So by Universal Republic law, we are not allowed to offer you a seat in the Senate."

"And this Universal Republic,... are they the ones who sent those weapons?" Kiba asked.

"Well,... No. Those were done by the enemy side. They are called the Federalist part, but we simply call them Federalists or Feds." Naoto explained. "The Federalists were once a small party within the U.R., but over a short period of time they gained favor. Their ideals were far more radical then what the other delagets wanted. So they branched off, and started to take their neighboring galaxy systems. Constantly saying, 'Fortune favors the bold!'. As government goes, it's worse then the world I left behind. The Federalists are a highly capitalist and consumerist society and the ruthless 'survival of the fittest' nature of capitalism fits well with Federalist's belief in Social Darwinism. Corporations in the Federal controlled systems apparently wield large amounts of power and influence."

In the research facility...

"Human kind did not evolve on this planet. They orginaly came from a planet known as Earth Omega in the Sol system." Orochimaru said. "If anything, we are their offsprings. Their technology exceeded any other on an unimaginable scale. But it soon became their down fall. Out of their expansion onto other planets, bloody rebellions errupted against the main government. Then, out of their own curiosity, they hammered in the last nail. An alien force found Earth Omega and de-evolved the remaining humans on it. In their anger, the other humans unified and wiped out that alien race. Over the years, they found new copies of their Earth Omega. This planet is one of them."

"So what does that have to do with us?"

"Because the humans of Earth Omega evolved too greatly in so little time, they doomed themselves for exsintion." Orochimaru explained. "As for these newest attacks... I know nothing about them. All I can say is that their is another war amongst the stars."

"So is that why you experimented on other shinobi's?"

"The humans of Earth Omega were rumored to mix the energy that we know as chakra with the advance machines that they created. If anything, I was paying homage to their work; and look where it got me."

In the hospital...

"Mandalorians evolved from dogs, so they have certain highted senses. Mostly hearing and smell." Naoto explained. "All Mandalorains have natural red eyes, and enlarged canines. But what really separates you from us, is where we were taken. Scientific discovery went on a different track. Physics and advance machinery replaced old forms of magic and chakra. What brought me to this planet, is considered to be the most terrifying ever created. Over the corse of this war, millions have already died caused by this weapon and other conventional forms in the use of fire-arms."

"Fire? Arms?" Naruto asked.

"You never heard of a gun before?" Naoto asked, what he got back in return was just confused faces. "Well... how do explain this. What a gun is... is... a weapon to say the least. A firearm is a weapon which projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through rapid, confined burning of apropellant. This process of rapid burning is technically known as deflagration. In older firearms, the propellant was typically black powder or cordite, but modern firearms use smokeless powder or other propellants. Most modern firearms, with the notable exception of smoothbore firearms, have rifled barrels to impart spin to the projectile for improved flight stability. Even now, we are trying elemental rounds. Incendiary, electricity, corrosives, ones that explode on impact, and even plasma rounds. Of corse, these cost a lot of money. They made is so lower ranks could not get them."

"I see..." Naruto and Kiba said, more in a this kid is pulling us type of mood.

"I wasn't asking for you to believe me!"

Back in the research facility...

"You're implying that the human race has once did more than what we already accomplished, and then some!" Shikamaru snapped, he banged on the glass to wake up Orochimaru... but it was more of away to annoy him.

"Correct..." Orochimaru said, half away. "You know- There _are _better ways to wake somebody up."

"You have no room to talk, snake," Shikamaru said. "Just answer my questions!"

"Fine, fine,... what are they?"

"If Human's did come from this Earth Omega, then how does this explain the resent events? We are getting world reports from the other countries that their main cities are being attacked by metallic beings, and they seem to be looking for something."

"The Federation," Orochimaru said. "My knowledge of this new form of Universal struggle for power is limited. Originally, the Universal Republic has been digging up planets that humans once colonized for their technology. Mostly medical and advance bioforms. In fact, this whole research facility was probably once a Earth Omega Mega Structures prototype."

"Where does Federation fit in?"

"Well finding these Mega Structures, and great advances in technology, it's only natural that they come across their old weapons which once made them a super-power. Where the U.R. wanted to use it to help and secure their territories, the Federation wanted to expand outward to planets which _were_ enhabited. All for just farming the old technology. Aside from that, that is all I know."

Shikamaru, who is usually unsettling calm, rubbed his eyes as a few sprinkles of sweat formed on his forehead. "So... So does this mean that the same is going to happen to us?"

"Plausibly, yes," Orochimaru said. "Since the Federalist enjoy using mechanical life forms, they are internal programmed to retrieve this technology by any means necessary. So your village might, to will, be next."

Shikamaru straightened himself out before leaving. He wiped the sweat from his brow and slicked his hair back into a neat, in control look. "I won't act like I know nothing about these events, but if the public gets wind of this then there will be unrest and order will start to break. This village has become far too soft after the war, and that is caused by the leader. A change needs to be made."

"It has nothing to do with me," Orochimaru yawned. "Wake me when the coup is over."

* * *

**What do you do when there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means? **

**Do you stain your hands with evil to destroy evil, or do you remain steadfastly just and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?**

**A paradox? **

**Or is it merely wordplay?**

**Next Time: Lust for Power**

**In either case, evil remains.**


End file.
